Abstract: A process of producing a vinyl chloride fiber with a small fineness having seven-tenth to half of the full luster surface and feel remarkably similar to human hair is provided. The process provides the vinyl chloride fiber comprising a vinyl chloride resin composition obtained by formulating (a) 1-35 parts by weight of ethylene-vinyl acetate resin, (b) 0.2-5.0 parts by weight of thermal stabilizer, and (c) 0.2-5.0 parts by weight of lubricant to 100 parts of a vinyl chloride mixture consisting of 100-60% by weight of a vinyl chloride resin and 0-40% by weight of chlorinated vinyl chloride resin. The process also provides the vinyl chloride fiber obtained by melt spinning the resin composition described above. The vinyl chloride fiber is useful for an artificial hair fiber for the decoration of hair or a doll's hair fiber such as a doll hair.

Abstract: An optical fiber and an optical transmission system are provided which enable a large-volume and long-haul transmission, using light signals having a plurality of wavelengths in a wide range of wavelength bands including 1.31 &mgr;m band, 1.45 &mgr;m band, 1.55 &mgr;m band and 1.58 &mgr;m band, and restraining the waveform degradation of the light signals due to nonlinear optical phenomena as well as the waveform degradation of light signals due to the accumulation of chromatic dispersions. The chromatic dispersion of the optical fiber according to the present invention is −20 ps·nm−1·km−1 or more but −3 ps·nm−1·km−1 or less in the whole wavelength range of 1300 nm to 1600 nm.

Abstract: An optical fiber whose chromatic dispersions have an opposite sign relative to those of the 1380 nm zero-dispersion fiber at all of the wavelengths in the range of 1450 nm to 1620 nm is provided. This optical fiber has negative chromatic dispersions at all of the wavelengths in this range and the values of which are −7 ps·nm−1·km−1 or more but −1 ps·nm−1·km−1 or less at a wavelength of 1450 nm, −12 ps·nm−1·km−1 or more but −5 ps·nm−1·km−1 or less at a wavelength of 1550 nm and −17 ps·nm−1·km−1 or more but −6 ps·nm−1·km−1 or less at a wavelength of 1620 nm. This optical fiber can compensate the dispersions of 1380 nm zero-dispersion fiber over the entire wavelength in this range.

Abstract: An optical fiber that can sufficiently suppress the generation of four-wave mixing and that can widen the bandwidth of wavelength of signal light. The optical fiber of the present invention has (a) a chromatic dispersion whose absolute value is not less than 8 ps·nm−1·km−1 and not more than 15 ps·nm−1·km−1 at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m and (b) a dispersion slope whose absolute value is not more than 0.05 ps·nm−2·km−1 at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m. It is more desirable that the optical fiber have (a) a chromatic dispersion whose absolute value is not less than 8 ps·nm−1·km−1 and not more than 12 ps·nm−1·km−1 at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m, (b) a dispersion slope whose absolute value is not more than 0.03 ps·nm−2·km−1 at a wavelength of 1.

Abstract: Elastomeric block copolymers comprising polyether chains as soft segment in combination with aromatic polyamide chains as hard segment are disclosed, the soft and hard segments being introduced under a sequence control so as to develop excellent physical and mechanical properties. Processes for producing the elastomeric block copolymers are also disclosed.

Abstract: An ester-amide block copolymer of the formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R is an aromatic hydrocarbon group with 6-20 carbon atoms and G is a residue of an aliphatic polyester, an aliphatic polycarbonate, an aliphatic polyethercarbonate or a polyorganosiloxane, and having a weight average molecular weight of 30,000-1,000,000. This copolymer is advantageously prepared by polycondensing an activated acyl lactam-terminated aromatic amide of the formula (2) with a diol of the formula (3) by bulk polymerization in a molten state: ##STR2## wherein R and G are the same as defined above.

Abstract: A single mode optical fiber of the present invention includes an inner core portion having a diameter of 2a and a refractive index n.sub.1, an outer core portion having a diameter of 2b and a refractive index n.sub.2 which is smaller than the refractive index n.sub.1 of the inner core portion, the outer core being disposed around the inner core, a clad portion disposed around the outer core portion having a refractive index n.sub.0. The single mode optical fiber satisfies relations of: 0.70%.ltoreq..DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.1.2%, 0.12.ltoreq..DELTA.n.sub.2 /.DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.16, and 0.15.ltoreq.2a/2b.ltoreq.0.25; 0.70%.ltoreq..DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.85%, 0.06.ltoreq..DELTA.n.sub.2 /.DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.12, and 0.20.ltoreq.2a/2b.ltoreq.0.28; or .DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.7%, 0.06.ltoreq..DELTA.n.sub.2 /.DELTA.n.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.16, and 0.15.ltoreq.2a/2b.ltoreq.0.3; where .DELTA.n.sub.1 =(n.sub.1.sup.2 -n.sub.0.sup.2)/n.sub.1.sup.2, and .DELTA.n.sub.2 =(n.sub.2.sup.2 -n.sub.0.sup.2)/n.sub.2.sup.2.

Abstract: An optical recording medium of a metal-containing indoaniline compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein M is a metal atom selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu or Co, R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or a methyl group, n is 1 or 2, X is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, each of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is a lower alkyl group, and Z.sup.- is an anion, as a dye on a substrate.

Abstract: A metal-containing indoaniline compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein M is a metal atom selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu or Co, R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or a methyl group, n is 1 or 2, X is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, each of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is a lower alkyl group, and Z.sup.- is an anion.

Abstract: A plurality of kinds of guidance information are stored in advance in an automatic money receiving and paying apparatus, and the information, which is recorded on a recording medium, on the characteristics of a user is read, the necessary kinds of information being then selected from the above-mentioned plurality of kinds of guidance information on the basis of the information on the characteristics of the user so as to use the selected information for guiding the user. Therefore, the operational guidance for a user can be done suitably, and the time for operating an automatic money receiving and paying apparatus can be reduced.